TRANSLATION 



Ohrdruf, Dec. 30, l88l 



Honored SirJ 



If I have incurred the suspicion with you that I am not only an impolite but even 

 an unthankful person, I cannot complain. I received your thank-worthy and abundant 

 shipment of American galls on February 26. Dr. Focke also confirmed reception. In your 

 letter of January 20 you expressed a desire to hear more details about these galls and 

 this prompted me, instead of writing immediately, to first attempt to form an opinion 

 about the shipment. Thereby I found that my knowledge of American literature is still 

 too füll of gaps, in order to decide about its familiarity or newness of all your 

 objects. Since I consider it the duty of every conscientious researcher to acquire 

 the works of his front -ranking men:and carefully test them, I first of all had to 

 think of the complete procurement of the utmost dispersed American literature* Th^t 

 however in no way turned out as fast as I had ^oped, and even -vir Inf? a lA day sojourn 

 last autumn in Berlin, I kept this matter in mind, with only little success. But I 

 hope that this delay - as unpleasant as it is for me, because with it I also postponed 

 my answer to you - will not härm the matter, The . , ♦ , . had already arrived 

 when I received the shipment, so that already then the danger of mix-ups could not 

 be entirely excluded. 



Since October of last year I also learned to know two year old insect galls on 

 Laris where they were begotten through a butterfly (compare enclosed print). 



As soon as I am finished with the preparatory work, I will again inform you. 



With best wishes for the New Year, I am 



Sincerely, your grate ful 

 Dr. Fr. Thomas 



